There are variations in the care of cloth diapers that can account for different measures of environmental impact. For example, using a cloth diaper laundering service involves additional pollution from the vehicle that picks up and drops off deliveries. Yet such a service uses less water per diaper in the laundering process.[51] Some people who launder cloth diapers at home wash each load twice, considering the first wash a "prewash", and thus doubling the energy and water usage from laundering. Cloth diapers are most commonly made of cotton, which is generally considered an environmentally wasteful crop to grow. "Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-dependent crops, sucking up 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land; that's more than any other crop per unit."[52] This effect can be mitigated by using other materials, such as bamboo and hemp.[53]

Children may have problems with bladder control (primarily at night), until eight years or older, and may wear diapers while sleeping to control bedwetting.[31] The Children's Health and Wellness website claims that diapering a child can prolong bedwetting, as it sends a "message of permission" to urinate in their sleep.[32] Dr Anthony Page of the Creative Child Online Magazine claims that children can get used to their diapers and begin to view them as a comfort, and that of the children surveyed, most would rather wear diapers than worry about getting up at night to go to the toilet.[33] In a series of online surveys, Robert A Pretlow, MD, of eHealth International, Inc., cites an identical figure. He argues that if Internet users are representative of society as a whole, these surveys imply that a fetishistic or emotional attraction to diapers may be responsible for these "comfort" cases, and that "these behaviors are a significant cause of enuresis and incontinence." He called for further studies to be done on the topic.[34]

In the hospital, Pampers Swaddlers will (probably) be the first diaper to hit your baby’s bottom. I am very happy with the performance of Pampers; they are soft, fit well, and contain leaks. Pampers Swaddlers are incredibly soft and have an umbilical cord notch for newbies. They also have a line that changes color to indicate wetness (Swaddlers also come in a Sensitive version).

Diapers are primarily worn by infants, toddlers who are not yet potty trained, and by children who experience bedwetting. They are also used by adults with incontinence, in certain circumstances where access to a toilet is unavailable or for psychological reasons. These can include those of advanced age, patients bed-bound in a hospital, individuals with certain types of physical or mental disability, diaper fetishists, and people working in extreme conditions, such as astronauts. It is not uncommon for people to wear diapers under dry suits.

We got these diapers because the price was unbeatable with the Amazon Mom subscription. We cloth diaper but use disposables at night and on long outings. These diapers have been great on her little bum and can get her through a six or seven hour stretch no problem. They do smell though- its a baby powder scent that's a bit on the chemical side. We've gotten used to it.
Modern disposable baby diapers and incontinence products have a layered construction,[19] which allows the transfer and distribution of urine to an absorbent core structure where it is locked in. Basic layers are an outer shell of breathable polyethylene film or a nonwoven and film composite which prevents wetness and soil transfer, an inner absorbent layer of a mixture of air-laid paper and superabsorbent polymers for wetness, and a layer nearest the skin of nonwoven material with a distribution layer directly beneath which transfers wetness to the absorbent layer.

But honestly, cloth diapers, as I mentioned earlier, have the most robust free diaper programs and they're the easiest to access. Groups like Giving Diapers, Giving Hope and The Rebecca Foundation's Cloth Diaper Closet offer free cloth diapers to those in need. Alternatively, you can get free or very cheap cloth diapers from online forums like Diaper Swappers that specialize in recycled (highly laundered) cloth diapers. Change-Diapers.com is a great resource with a link every Friday for cloth diaper giveaways they've found online, too.

The charity type agencies listed below receive donations of diapers (or the money to pay for them) from local businesses, civic groups, community businesses, schools and faith-based organizations. Free samples can also be provided to some clients. The goal is to help ensure children and their parents have diapers, wipes, and other personal cleaning supplies to ensure that the child is healthy. Find a listing of resources by state below.